Washington (CNN) - A majority of Americans think that the Republicans will control Congress after Tuesday's midterm elections, but only a third say the country will be better off under a GOP takeover, according to a new national poll.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Sunday also indicates that a majority of registered voters say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who opposes President Barack Obama.FULL POST

(CNN) - Theodore C. Sorensen, a close adviser and speechwriter to President John F. Kennedy, has died, the White House said Sunday.

Though he wore a number of hats in his relationship with Kennedy and later in life, he is best known as the wordsmith who helped put Kennedy's ideas to paper in what remain some of the most recognizable speeches in American political history.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (CNN) - President Barack Obama on Sunday implored Democrats to get out and vote this week in his final campaign speech for the upcoming congressional elections.

With his party expected to lose seats in both chambers, and perhaps its House majority, Obama told a rally at Cleveland State University that the only way to ensure continued policies intended to help working-class Americans was to keep Democrats in power.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - In what are either last-minute head games or reflections on a shifting electorate, Democrats are predicting better-than-expected results for their side while Republicans are downplaying the extent of their expected victory in Tuesday's congressional elections.

With less than 48 hours before polling booths open, the comments on Sunday talk shows stayed true to the anticipated Republican gains in both chambers of Congress but continued to differ widely on exact totals.

(CNN) - Here are some of the most quotable sound bites from the Sunday morning shows:

On Election Day predictions:

"If we get 39 seats and take the majority, that's success. If we get 37 seats, that's success. ... We have battled our way back here, so to have the kind of night that we're anticipating on Tuesday is not just a blessing, but it comes from the hard work of our candidates out there engaging with the people." - Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, CNN's "State of the Union"

(CNN) - A defiant Alaska senator was on the campaign trail this weekend.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is facing a tough three-way race in the state, said her gut is telling her she's leading her opponents.

"My gut tells me we are winning this campaign and we are doing so in a big way," Murkowski told CNN's Drew Griffin on Saturday. "I'm feeling extraordinarily good about where we are right now."FULL POST